1. The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
2. “Judah mourns,and her gates languish;her people lament on the ground,and the cry of Jerusalem goes up.
3. Her nobles send their servants for water;they come to the cisterns;they find no water;they return with their vessels empty;they are ashamed and confoundedand cover their heads.
4. Because of the ground that is dismayed,since there is no rain on the land,the farmers are ashamed;they cover their heads.
5. Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawnbecause there is no grass.
6. The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;they pant for air like jackals;their eyes failbecause there is no vegetation.
7. “Though our iniquities testify against us,act, O Lord, for your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you.
8. O you hope of Israel,its savior in time of trouble,why should you be like a stranger in the land,like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
9. Why should you be like a man confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot save?Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us,and we are called by your name; do not leave us.”